UW chiefs appeal for support from Jubilee Partners for SADA

Wa, May 17, GNA - The Upper West Regional House of Chiefs have appealed to the Jubilee Partners to support the implementation of the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) instituted by the government for the rapid development of the north.

Naa Sohimininye Danaa Gore II, President of the Regional House of Chiefs, who made the appeal, said government alone could not provide the needed financial support and logistics for the development of the north hence the request for assistance from the Jubilee Partners. He said the request from the Jubilee Partners should be seen as a corporate responsible towards the wellbeing of the people in the north. Naa Gore made the appeal at a special forum organised for the Upper West Regional Coordinating Council, heads of departments and agencies by the Jubilee Partners to deepen their understanding on the operations of the Ghana Oil find.

Naa Gore who is also the Paramount Chief of the Dorimon Traditional Area, pleaded with Ghanaians not to misconstrue their request to mean that it was contradicting a similar request made by chiefs from the Western Region. He said the development gap between the north and the south was huge and that called for support from all development partners to complement government efforts.

"Some people might say we are asking for too much and even going outside the limits but that is not so because our difficulty is an eye disease that everybody can see for himself or herself," Naa Gore said. The Regional Coordinating Council also called on government to partner other development partners to utilise the by-products of the oil for the production of fertilizers for the agricultural sector.

The Council noted that it would not be in the best interest of Ghanaians should government allow foreign companies to utilise the by-products of the oil and maximize profits for their respective countries. The Council also expressed worry about the mushrooming training of the youth by some unqualified training institutions and called on government to regulate or monitor the training to bring sanity to the oil sector. Dr Anthony Aubynn, Director of Corporate Affairs of Tullow Ghana Limited, who took the Council through the operations of the Jubilee Partners, also said training of the youth by unqualified institutions should be of grave concern to all. He said such wayside training institutions were heightening the expectations of the youth and promising those undergoing training with jobs and high salaries after their completion. Government training policies in the oil industry must conform to all other trainings that were being provided if not it would betray government 's good intentions, Dr. Aubynn noted.